It has been known for some time that one of the long term sequelae of a myocardial infarction is the generation of arrhythmias, such as tachycardia which may result in fibrillation of the heart and sudden death. Accordingly, for some time, efforts have been directed at reducing the risk of such arrhythmias. For years, attempts have been made to reduce the risk of arrhythmia by pharmacological treatment.
More recently, a surgical approach to the eradication of tissue which generates ventricular tachycardia has been utilized which renders the target endocardium and sub-endocardium electrically inert or surgically removes it. This surgical procedure has been demonstrated to be highly effective, however perioperative mortality is high due to left ventricular failure, and only a small percentage of patients with ventricular tachycardia are candidates for this procedure.
Most recently, attempts to eradicate arrhythmic tissue have included the application of radiofrequency energy via an electrode mounted on a catheter tip, known as "catheter ablation". For example, see U.S. Pat. No. 5,239,999--Imran.
There are significant problems with the catheter ablation process as previously practiced, including the inability to judge adequate contact between the ablating electrode and the target endocardium. Another problem is the inability to locate appropriate targets for ablation. Still another problem is the inability to determine when the radiofrequency energy applied via an electrode mounted on a catheter successfully ablates the tissue intended to be ablated.
In the past, techniques to localize the endocardial origin of ventricular tachycardia in the setting of chronic myocardial infarction have utilized only electrogram characteristics. These techniques have included sinus rhythm mapping, activation mapping, pace-mapping and entrainment mapping. These techniques have poor specificity for localization of the site of origin of ventricular tachycardia. In addition, to properly perform some of these techniques, long periods of sustained tachycardia are necessary, often placing a significant hemodynamic burden on the patient.